Celestial treats including the newly-discovered ISON comet, a meteor shower and more can be seen in November’s nighttime skies.
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE Nature Center................ 8 Calendar...................... 13 SROA News.................. 22
Public Safety................ 34 Classified..................... 38 Commentary................ 39
Engineering students at Catlin Gable School were awarded a grant to build and test a ‘Scumbot’ to battle duckweed in Sunriver
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S U N R I V E R
S C E N E A COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE SUNRIVER OWNERS ASSOCIATION
NOVEMBER • 2013
volume xxxix • Number 11
Increase in room tax proposed on November ballot
A measure to increase transient room taxes in Deschutes County appears on the Nov. 6 general election ballot. People registered to vote in Deschutes County will decide the fate of Measure 9-96. If approved, it would increase Deschutes County’s transient room tax from 7 percent to 8 percent, boosting collections by an estimated $527,000 annually. The tax generated $3.6 million in fiscal year 2012-2013. The measure is of particular interest to Sunriver where nearly one-third of the units are rented to visitors. The tax is collected from guests staying at resorts, hotels, motels, and private or professionally managed rental homes and condos in unincorporated areas of Deschutes County including Sunriver, Black Butte Ranch and Eagle Crest. Lodging taxes are paid by overnight visitors to help offset the impacts of visitors Turn to Tax, page 4
Summer in Sunriver:
egin! b s ie it v ti s fe y a d li o h Let the
Area businesses reporting healthy visitor numbers
Sunriver Resort’s holiday Grand Illumination takes place Friday, Nov. 29 at dusk at the Lodge. The kick-off of the resort’s month-long Traditions holiday celebrations, Grand Illumination includes a parade, the arrival of Santa, the lighting of the lodge, live music and a holiday marketplace feature local food and craft vendors. Visit www. sunriverresort.com for details.
Consultants unveil first phase recommendations for river access By Brooke Snavely After conducting four public meetings, tabulating results from more than 150 surveys and analyzing hundreds of owner comments, a consultant recommends SROA construct a basic boat launch and gravel parking lot on the marina lagoon due east of the HOLA Restaurant. A plumbed restroom and an entry gate to limit use of the site to owners and guests are also recommended. Ron Hand, WHPacific senior project manager, said a site master plan that shows all possible uses should be submitted to Deschutes County to avoid the need to seek additional approvals in the future. Possible future uses include a locked canoe/kayak boat storage facility, picnic area, dog parks, pickleball courts and additional parking. “The phase one elements are things your owners really want to see,” Hand told the SROA Board of Directors at its Oct. 18 work session. SUNRIVER SCENE SUNRIVER OWNERS ASSN. VOLUME XXXIX • NUMBER 11 P.O. BOX 3278 SUNRIVER, OR 97707
“We heard over and over that who has access to the site is crucial,” said Jay Battleson, WHPacific landscape architect. “Owners and guests but not the general public, at least not for now.” Battleson said the majority of those owners who responded to the survey or attended forums said they don’t want to encourage public use of the site. “Just give us a boat launch they told us. Our recommendation then is driven by the idea of being utilitarian in nature.”
Phase one recommendation WHPacific recommends a two-lane boat ramp separated by a utility beach. One ramp would be 16 feet wide to accommodate trailered rescue boats. A wood dock alongside this ramp would facilitate launch and recovery. A second boat ramp 12 feet wide would handle canoes, kayaks and rafts. The utility beach between the boat ramps would permit staging of the hand-launched craft.
Battleson said a dual lane boat ramp would allow simultaneous access and egress by various users. The proposed boat ramp and access road would be paved but an adjacent 46 space parking lot would be gravel to reduce environmental impacts. Battleson said an on-site boat storage facility is not depicted in the phase one plan because there wasn’t much call for it. He noted, however, that most people who expressed an interest in on-site boat storage said they would be willing to pay for the convenience. WHPacific recommended a gate, possibly activated by a card swipe, as a method to limit vehicle access into the facility. A proposed access road would connect to Deschutes Road east of the turn into the Sunriver Marina and HOLA Restaurant parking lot. Separating the SROA marina access road from HOLA Turn to Access, page 3
The summer of 2013 was: “Exceptional,” according to Tom O’Shea, managing director at Sunriver Resort; “Great,” according to Marc Cameron at Sunriver Brewing Company; and “Met all expectations and exceeded them in August,” said Brian Malee, manager of the Village Bar & Grill. SHARC and the North Pool attracted 335,000 visits between July 1, 2012 and June 30, 2013. Revenues generated by Deschutes County’s transient room tax are the gold standard for measuring the health of the tourism industry. $2.26 million in room taxes were collected through September 2013, 13 percent more than through September 2012. The month to month comparisons are even more striking: August 2013 tax revenues increased 13 percent over August 2012. September 2013 tax revenues increased 23 percent compared to September 2012. Sunriver Resort “There was major recovery in the leisure market, equal to the good old days,” said O’Shea. “Everything was real positive. Golf was good. The convention business was very strong and is looking even stronger next year.” O’Shea said the convention business is on a pace to increase 20 percent next year, and is “a great indicator of next year’s activity. It looks to be real busy.” O’Shea described the improved business activity as “a natural recovery. People have more confidence. Sunriver’s revitalization – SHARC, the village, the resort – there’s a feeling that Sunriver is re-energized. When you come into Sunriver you see it. Sunriver has reinvested and upped its game.” Sunriver Brewing Company Marc Cameron said the Sunriver Brewing Company’s growth was beyond Turn to Summer, page 3 PRSRT STD. U.S. POSTAGE PAID BEND, OR PERMIT NO. 213